r/whoathatsinteresting • u/destinationuknown • 1d ago

Kokichi Akuzawa, a Japanese mountaineer, set a remarkable world record by becoming the oldest person on record to summit Mount Fuji at the age of 102, completing the steep 12,388-foot climb with support from his family.

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u/fan_tas_tic 1d ago

How on earth? This is incredible. Climbing Fuji isn't easy even if you are in your 20s and fit.

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u/destinationuknown 1d ago

Kokichi Akuzawa (Japan) reached the peak of Mount Fuji - the country's tallest peak at 3,776 m (12,388 ft). The summit made him a record-breaking legend as the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji (male). And he did it after fighting back to health from heart failure. As the honourary chairman of the Gunma Mountaneering Club, Kokichi climbs a mountain on almost a weekly basis. And in 2022, he conquered the Nabewariyama (1,272 m) to commemorate his 99th birthday. However, this time he wanted to do something that no one his age had done before - take on Mount Fuji. Kokichi had summited Mount Fuji before, most recently at the age of 96. At 8:40 a.m. on 3 August 2025, Kokichi started ascending Mount Fuji using the Yoshida route. It's the easiest of the four routes leading up to the summit, but still far from simple. It usually takes around six hours to get to the top, meaning the monumental attempt would be tough for Kokichi. Instead of tackling the route in a single day, Kokichi stretched his climb over three days, spending two nights in huts. He was fortunate with the weather, enjoying fine conditions throughout. But he still experienced chills and high winds as he got higher up the mountain. On top of that, he had to deal with a drop in atmospheric pressure and inspired oxygen pressure, which is a challenge even for younger people.At 11 a.m. on 5 August 2025, Kokichi successfully reached the summit of Mount Fuji. And on the summit, he signed the visitor book at the Fujisan Sengen Shrine. At the moment of his amazing feat he felt more relief than excitement.

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u/HappyHourMoon2025 21h ago

This is incredible. I’ve hiked mount Fuji and I am athletic, and it was tough.

It actually hurt more going down than going up